Love Letter to the EarthWorld-renowned Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh champions a more mindful, spiritual approach to protecting nature and limiting climate change—one that recognizes people and planet as one and the same. While many experts point to the enormous complexity in addressing issues ranging from the destruction of ecosystems to the loss of millions of species, Thich Nhat Hanh identifies one key issue as having the potential to create a tipping point. He believes that we need to move beyond the concept of the “environment,” as it leads people to experience themselves and Earth as two separate entities and to see the planet only in terms of what it can do for them. Here, Thich Nhat Hanh points to the lack of meaning and connection in peoples’ lives as being the cause of our addiction to consumerism. He deems it vital that we recognize and respond to the stress we are putting on the Earth if civilization is to survive. Rejecting the conventional economic approach, Thich Nhat Hanh shows that mindfulness and a spiritual revolution are needed to protect nature and limit climate change. Love Letter to the Earth is a hopeful book that gives us a path to follow by showing that change is possible only with the recognition that people and the planet are ultimately one and the same. |
Contents
CHAPTER TWO Healing Steps | 32 |
CHAPTER THREE Welcome Home | 58 |
CHAPTER FOUR Amplifying Our Power | 74 |
CHAPTER FIVE Practices for Falling | 84 |
in Love with the Earth | 86 |
CHAPTER SIX Ten Love Letters to the Earth | 98 |
AFTERWORD Toward a Cosmic Religion | 137 |
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Common terms and phrases
able asteroid awakening back to ourselves beautiful planet become Bodhi tree body and mind Buddha nature calm cells cloud collective energy compassion consciousness create Dear Mother Earth discrimination drink embrace enjoy enlightenment everything Father Sun fear feel flower galaxies gift given birth happiness heal ourselves heal the Earth heart human in-breath and out-breath insight of interbeing Kingdom Kingdom of God listening deeply living look deeply manifest mindful breathing mindfulness and concentration miracle no-birth and no-death nonbeing nonduality PARALLAX PRESS peace photosynthesis planet Earth Plum Village practice mindfulness practice of mindfulness present protect Pure Land reality realize Sangha Sanskrit Shakyamuni Buddha sitting meditation solar system species sravaka stars step take refuge Thich Nhat Hanh things touch the ultimate transform tree true nature ultimate dimension walk mindfully walking meditation whole cosmos whole universe wonderful